DOCUMENTI GEOGRAFICI - N. 1 (2024)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Poli-thema

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Remote sensing methods for burnout mapping and burn severity evaluation. The case of Trieste and Gorizia karst area in the summer of 2022. – Human beings are the principal agents of forest fires. In Friuli Venezia Giulia more than 90% of fires are of arson origin although the fire development and impact depend on land cover and weather conditions. During the second half of 2022, a serious fire broke out in Doberdò del Lago and blazed for a good ten days in a transnational karst area among Trieste, Gorizia and Sezana. During the fire, over 4000 hectares of forest went up in smoke. This paper shows the use of Remote Sensing methodology in a GIS environment to measure the effects of the fire, i.e. to map the burnt area. The 2022 event has been assessed by elaborating some pre and post fire ESA Sentinel 2 imagery (Copernicus project). The authors mapped the burnt areas and compared the result with the official mapping, surveyed in the field by the public authorities. They also made a spatial evaluation

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Digital currency and geopolitics: the challenge between United States and China. – This research focuses on the potentially revolutionary role of the Chinese digital currency, the Electronic Renminbi, in reshaping the Chinese banking system and transnational geopolitical and economic dynamics. The e-RMB, part of the Chinese reform agenda since 2015, aims to redefine international balances by challenging the dominance of the US dollar. The Chinese strategy, exemplified by initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative, seeks to transition from American unipolarity to a multipolar system, ensuring stability for China’s economic growth. The e-RMB presents a seemingly liberal standard with privacy guarantees, but it actually aims to build a parallel system based on authoritarian capitalism and surveillance in the new territories of cyberspace.

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Urban regeneration and tourism in peripheral neighbourhoods: the case of Bagnoli (Naples). – This article deals with the relationship between suburbs, urban regeneration and tourism development by addressing the case of Bagnoli, a former industrial district on the western outskirts of Naples. Bagnoli is a coastal neighbourhood which preserves the dismissed facilities and the social landscape from its industrial past and is still struggling to fully implement a regeneration process that would allow it to regain its ancient tourist vocation. However, the new debate and the new planning ferment that seem to be developing around the issue today perhaps justify cautious optimism: If good intentions are followed by concrete facts, it could actually be possible to get out of this thirty-year impasse and enhance the territorial resources of Bagnoli, which range from sea bathing to thermalism, from traditional to innovative kinds of cultural tourism.

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Il rapporto degli studenti con i rifiuti: l’esperienza dell’approccio Rifiuti Zero in contesti educativi. – La tematica relativa alla produzione e gestione dei rifiuti è spesso trascurata, ma i dati preoccupanti ne evidenziano l’urgenza. L’approccio Rifiuti Zero, sviluppato con l’obiettivo di evitare la produzione di rifiuti e ripensare i modi di produzione e consumo, emerge come soluzione cruciale. Questo studio presenta una ricerca-azione nel Friuli Venezia Giulia, focalizzata sulla sensibilizzazione e diffusione dell’approccio Rifiuti Zero in alcune località turistiche della regione. Coinvolgendo all’incirca 600 studenti di scuole secondarie di primo grado e scuole professionali, i risultati iniziali indicano una comprensione generale della gestione dei rifiuti e un interesse nei confronti dei principi di Rifiuti Zero, mostrando la volontà degli studenti di agire per un futuro sostenibile.

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Ripensare i rifiuti agricoli per la bioenergia nelle aree rurali: un modello di applicazione per la provincia di Foggia (Puglia, Italia). – Studi recenti e agende politiche internazionali si concentrano sempre più sulle geografie dei rifiuti e sull’equilibrio degli obiettivi di sostenibilità nelle politiche energetiche, rivelando problemi soprattutto nell’implementazione su scala locale. Sebbene l’uso della biomassa residua proveniente dai rifiuti agricoli e zootecnici per la produzione di energia rappresenti attualmente una delle fonti alternative più promettenti per la produzione di energia e il raggiungimento degli obiettivi di sviluppo sostenibile, inclusa la riduzione dei rifiuti, delle emissioni inquinanti, la conservazione di beni preziosi, paesaggi e biodiversità, è scarsamente incentivato e sviluppato a causa di varie limitazioni. Questa ricerca mira a sviluppare un modello sostenibile per la produzione di energia dai rifiuti agricoli con la tecnologia appropriata, ancora poco considerata ma compatibile con le risorse, i valori e i vincoli locali. A tal fine, si considerano le specifiche caratteristiche e potenzialità locali, utilizzando una metodologia qualitativa-quantitativa applicata in un’area di particolare interesse nella regione Puglia.

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Relational goods, imbalances, and the society-environment relationship. – The interactions between the economy, the environment, and territorial systems form a complex network that influences the structure and development of regions. The reflection is carried out both in relation to imbalances and in the reinterpretation of ecological and socio-spatial relations, collaborative processes, and the organisation and reorganisation of space as relational goods. The issue of territorial imbalances is linked to the question of conflicts within political ecology. The objective of this paper is, therefore, to present a theoretical reflection that aims to deepen the relationship between the economy, the environment, and territorial systems, focusing specifically on relational goods in the context of two spatiotemporal dimensions and referring to a territorial system as an alternative approach. The complexity of the territorial system, therefore, suggests taking into account the communicative and relational interdependencies between local actors, that influence economic growth and sustainable development. Finally, the responsible use of territorial resources requires public policies that reduce spatial inequalities, promote the active participation of territorial actors and the sustainable management of resources as components of local development.
Agorà (Responsabili Giovanni Mauro, Maria Ronza)

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The lions and the panther

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The “metropolitan” parks of Naples between environmental risk and anthropic pressure thirty years after their institution

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Technological Innovation and Cultural Heritage: The Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields

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The Cotton Way, a bridge between East and West

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The geography of the vote in the 2022 elections: comparison with previous rounds and trends of the last months

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In the geography of Plato’s Phaedrus: disclosure of a painted anagram?

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The G7 at Borgo Egnazia. Geopolitics and the Imagery of Italy in the World
Kritiké (Responsabile Daniele Paragano)

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Il turismo è cambiato: tutti lo pensano, è quasi un luogo comune. Ma che vuol dire, esattamente, questa espressione? E come aggiornare i nostri orizzonti conoscitivi in materia, le nostre competenze professionali?

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Il volume a cura di Margherita Ciervo fornisce un’analisi delle strate-gie di bioeconomia europea e nazionale. Attraverso lo sguardo di diversi esperti, appartenenti a numerosi ambiti disciplinari, tali strategie vengono affrontate e valutate dal punto di vista geografico, economico, ecologico, medico, restituendo una ampia lettura degli indirizzi assunti e delle loro criticità.

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In piena conformità alla dantesca citazione “Nomina sunt consequen-tia rerum”, il lavoro di Maria Giuseppina Lucia, Simona Epasto, Monica Maglio e Stefano Valdemarin si presenta ricco di implicazioni e di signifi-cati già a partire dal macro-titolo “Geografia finanziaria”.

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I paesaggi, gli studi, i progetti, gli strumenti e il lessico delle e per le aree interne definiscono la struttura di questo corposo volume, che raccoglie i numerosi contributi di studiose e studiosi – in prevalenza architetti – impegnati nella riflessione scientifica e nella progettazione territoriale concernente l’arcipelago di paesi protagonisti della SNAI.

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Il filo conduttore, che ha animato la stesura del primo libro strutturato in due parti e curato da Anna Trono, Tomasz Duda e Jürgen Schmude, è l’interesse geografico di un nutrito gruppo di studiosi, nazionali e internazionali, per il turismo e la sua continua evoluzione.

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Il libro dell’intellettuale, attivista per i diritti dei neri e femminista statunitense, può essere letto in due prevalenti chiavi di lettura: la prima, ed è quella che in questa sede maggiormente ci interessa, è di geografia umana; la seconda, che ha una caratterizzazione più politica e militante, è quella che concerne le rivendicazioni della propria identità legata ai luoghi e al senso di appartenenza che questi suscitano.

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Uscito quasi in coincidenza con Sentirsi a casa di bell hooks e per la stessa casa editrice, in questo libro l’autore, Paolo Furia, affronta il tema dello spaesamento, coniugando una duplice prospettiva di riflessione, ri-chiamata anche nel sottotitolo.

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A settecento anni dalla scomparsa di Marco Polo, la cui figura ha ispirato una vasta gamma di opere e studi, Ermanno Orlando, professore associato di Storia Medievale presso l’Università per Stranieri di Siena, costruisce un racconto adottando un approccio di chiara impronta calviniana in cui luoghi e paesaggi attraversati dal mercante divengono protagonisti della narrazione.

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Il volume curato da Giuseppe Bettoni si apre con una sfida assai ambiziosa, quella posta nel suo titolo e nella sua prefazione, ovvero trattare politica, democrazie e migrazioni in Africa.

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Nell’agosto del 2015 l’ONU stabiliva quali sarebbero stati gli obiettivi necessari per “un futuro migliore e più sostenibile per tutti” per i quindici anni a venire.

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Dedicate a Confini, sono state consegnate alle stampe, con l’intento di una larga diffusione tra una platea di lettori interessati ad esplorare tematiche di respiro, con attinenza per l’immediato che trova nella comunicazione uno spazio dialettico di spessore, le 191 pagine del numero 01 di una serie di libri-rivista ad apertura di un progetto editoriale del T.C.I.
Politiké (Responsabile Angelo Turco)

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Perché amiamo i luoghi delle canzoni che amiamo? In un percorso di geografia configurativa, Luca Bertoloni e Arianna Chieppe ci portano in quello che può essere considerato il cuore della territorialità emozionale: l’artializzazione.

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Le rappresentazioni territoriali nei prodotti mediali di carattere finzionale riscuotono da tempo interesse da parte dei geografi. Ancora poco esplorato è, tuttavia, il mondo della canzone, analizzata prevalentemente come insieme di cartografie, elencazione di toponimi o riflessione intorno a pratiche sociali condivise, venendo considerata soltanto in poche occasioni come una macchina simulante della territorialità, secondo il modello proposto da Marcello Tanca.

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In un contesto caratterizzato dalla cosiddetta autonomia regionale differenziata, l’ipotesi di un referendum per spostare la provincia di Isernia dal Molise all’Abruzzo, ha stimolato, il Corriere della Sera a pubblicare lo scorso 11 marzo, in abbinata a una puntata del programma televisivo Da-taroom, un articolo sul Molise che conteneva una serie di imprecisioni e di stereotipi geografici.

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Le recensioni che qui presentiamo sono il frutto di una serie di riflessioni scaturite attorno al tema della traduzione in geografia a partire dalla recente pubblicazione da parte della casa editrice Einaudi del testo di Klaus Dodds dal titolo italiano Il primo libro di geopolitica (2023).

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Nei mesi scorsi abbiamo assistito al dilagare in diversi paesi europei della cosiddetta “protesta dei trattori” che ha portato nelle piazze e nelle strade un diffuso, forte e variegato malcontento del mondo agricolo.

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Il 10 gennaio 2024 ascolto in un telegiornale la notizia dell’imminente divorzio tra Invitalia e Arcelor Mittal, azionista di maggioranza (62%) di Acciaierie d’Italia dal 15 aprile 2021.
Mono-thema: Geografia, innovazione e risorse idriche nel contesto della transizione ecologica

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L’incessante avanzamento tecnologico comporta uno straordinario impatto sui territori e sui loro corpi idrici, presentando sfide e opportunità per la comunità scientifica in generale e per quella geografica in particolare. L’innovazione tecnologica riveste infatti un ruolo sempre più pervasivo nella configurazione e nelle dinamiche di sviluppo del territorio e rende necessario identificare metodologie di analisi e strumenti tecnologici innovativi per analizzare, verificare e condividere conoscenza e pratiche virtuose.

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At the edge of the mar dulce: artificial lakes, new vocations and challenges along the Guadiana river basin. – The effects of the climate crisis on hydrographic systems, both superficial and underground, are now undeniable, with the incessant succession of prolonged droughts and catastrophic floods. The recent evolution of water governance in Extremadura, one of the European regions most affected by the effects of the climate crisis, is a relevant case study that allows stimulating reflections on today's hydro-social dynamics in the face of the worrying reduction in fresh water supplies. The Rio Guadiana basin was involved late in the process of hydraulic modernization which aimed at the renewal of Iberian agriculture. The pre-eminent irrigation purpose is associated with the production of electricity and the containment of floods. Added to this multifunctionality is the consolidation of a growing tourist presence along the banks of these mares dulces. But an arid nightmare is humiliating the dignity of Iberian hydrography.

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Redefining the city-river relationship: a look at the Turin area. – The relationship between the city and the river is being profoundly redefined in the context of the water crisis, in the relationship between the natural and the built environment. The paper will focus on the case of Turin, where deindustrialisation has led to morphological, functional and symbolic transformations of previously industrialized areas, with a new process of landscape construction, in some cases based on the heritage of the industrial past, in others on a new meaning (re)attributed to the environment, as the main physical and symbolic dimension of the re-territorialisation of post-indus-trial spaces. This paper focuses on the relationship between rivers and cities, and in particular on how rivers are once again becoming a (potentially) founding element of post-industrial landscapes. We will draw on some case studies in the Turin area, where the river emerges as a potentially structuring element in rethinking places deeply marked by deindustrialisation and in imagining and constructing a new landscape.

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Hydric resources as patterns for a community regeneration: the Gleno dam between memory and innovation in Scalve Valley. – Geography offers tools for territorial analysis and planning which, by integrating field research with geographic information technologies, propose innovative approaches to support re-generation processes. This is strategic in mountain contexts where, over time, water resources management has been at the core of a delicate co-evolutionary relationship between humans and non-humans and, sometimes, has caused catastrophic fractures induced by anthropic action, like dam collapsing. The essay presents the case study of the Gleno Dam in the Scalve Valley, province of Bergamo, where, since the collapse centenary (1923-2023), the geographers of the Imago Mundi Lab at the University of Bergamo have been carrying out research aimed at reconstructing the territorial stratification generated over time, focusing on the role of water and the disastrous results of the dam collapse on the entire valley. Many places abandoned after the disaster can today be regenerated through co-design processes using mapping systems and placing water at the centre of new symbolic meanings, cultural functions, and production practices.

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Rationalities and socio-spatial effects of hydraulic infrastructure in Sardinia. – The infrastructural processes of the water system unfold over extended periods, often resulting in nonlinearities within the processes themselves, despite originating as explicit projects aimed at material control over resources and territorial development. These constructions give rise to various interpretations of irrigation systems, intersectoral conflicts, and power struggles among the different actors involved in their management and use. The aim of this article is to engage in dialogue regarding the water infrastructure process in Sardinia, examining its intersection with the different rationales guiding water management and territorial development policies. It highlights both internal and external factors influencing these processes, as well as the significance of historical legacies.

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La ristrutturazione del qanatscape come infrastruttura verde-blu-culturale delle città storiche nella regione arida dell’Iran. – Un’infrastruttura rispettosa dell’ambiente ha creato la civiltà delle terre aride dell’Iran circa 3000 anni fa, il sistema idrico Qanat, una struttura creata dall’uomo che consiste in tunnel sotterranei che partono da falde acquifere alluvionali alla testa delle valli e che conducono l’acqua su lunghe distanze usando la gravità per irrigare le terre aride e piatte. Una visione olistica di un paesaggio basato sui qanat crea il termine “Qanatscape” per concettualizzare le caratteristiche paesag-gistiche uniche dei qanat, dalla scala del sito alla scala intermedia, il tutto nel contesto della scala regionale. Rivitalizzare il modello del Qanatscape significa scavare nell’ordine, nella gerarchia, nell’uso del suolo e nel ciclo ottimale dell’acqua e trovare un modo per migliorare lo sviluppo sostenibile e la qualità del paesaggio quotidiano.
Yazd è un caso di studio degno di nota in quanto si è evoluto dal modello del Qanatscape. Il paesaggio di Yazd è stato esaminato attraverso narrazioni orali e analisi/interpretazione di immagini di vecchie mappe, foto aeree e immagini satellitari periodiche per scoprire il modello. Infine, attraverso una ricostruzione critica, il Qanatscape viene proposto come infrastruttura “verde-blu-culturale” di città e villaggi storici aridi dell’Iran. Il modello può servire come modello per un uso più sostenibile dell’acqua in Iran, producendo cibo, qualità della vita e un senso di appartenenza e identità, soprattutto di fronte al cambiamento climatico.

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Cooperations, mediations and conflicts between Italy and Switzerland in the Ticino River catchment basin: some geographical reflections. – This paper aims to describe and critically analyze the set of agreements, common laws and practices that were build up, across the years, to regulate cooperation between Switzerland and Italy around the Ticino River catchment basin on a series of issues concerning lakes and rivers. We identified five: shipping, fishing, regulation of water levels, electricity supply and production, and environmental protection. Interreg projects that were developed in the area are analyzed as recent means to solve conflicts based on innovative cross-scale governances. Eventually, issues of potential discord demanding mediation and cooperation in the near future are outlined, specifically in relation to climate change.

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Agreements on the use of water, cooperation, policies and conflicts: river contracts in Italy. – The paper aims to explore the concept of river contract as a tool for participatory management of water resources, analyzing in this context the key role of conservation and management of their naturalness. The main objective of the research is to understand how river contracting can facilitate the conservation, enhancement and transmission of cultural heritage while promoting the sustainable development of local communities. The methodology is based on a review of the available literature on the river contract concept, its role in cultural heritage enhancement, and the need for the geo-mediation phase as an important moment of shared and participatory planning. The results of the research, in addition to highlighting regional differences in the application of River Contracts in Italy, indicate that the river contract although not widespread can act as a catalyst for the management and enhancement of cultural heritage, actively involving local communities in the conservation of their territories. The implications of the research may be useful for scholars, practitioners and institutions interested in the conservation and enhancement of water resources through the implementation of planning strategies by identifying the figure of the geomediator as a facilitator of performative processes.

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A research-action path for the participatory and collaborative management of water bodies: River Contracts in Friuli Venezia Giulia. – Starting from the experience acquired through a research-action which involves the geographers of the University of Udine in the coordination of the Regional Board of River Contracts, in agreement with the Autonomous Region Friuli Venezia Giulia, this contribution analyzes the results and effectiveness of some initiatives implemented for the promotion of participatory and collaborative governance of water bodies. Through participant observation and the analysis of a questionnaire, the facilitation and training role of geography in the process of River Contracts to make participation more effective and aware, will be highlighted.

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Culture e patrimoni dell’acqua nel Mediterraneo: una proposta sull’onda del “futuro liquido”. – Nuove prospettive di sviluppo economico e sostenibile possono nascere da una perfetta combinazione di turismo e digitalizzazione, conoscenza storica e valorizzazione del patrimonio nel Mediterraneo. La creazione di reti per condividere le migliori esperienze turistiche nazionali e internazionali nella tutela del patrimonio liquido è senza dubbio un aspetto fondamentale. In questo quadro, emergono esperienze e musei legati al mare volte a offrire al grande pubblico piattaforme rappresentative - sia fisiche che digitali - del patrimonio esemplare delle civiltà e delle culture nel Mediterraneo. Questo consente ai turisti di entrare in contatto con realtà istituzionali e imprenditoriali che implementano, in una logica sinergica, pratiche turistiche sostenibili; connettere turisti e comunità favorisce, inoltre, un dialogo che può motivare soprattutto i giovani a diventare narratori consapevoli e attori del proprio “futuro liquido”.

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Sound waves. Podcasting and teaching on water geographies. – In a resonant world, the attention to soundscapes of the international geographic community is growing, bringing into hearing ongoing reflections on cohabitation and interspecies alliances in the Anthropocene. At the same time, the use of podcast in academia is growing, to teach and disseminate geography beyond academic boundaries, and thus increase the public impact of research.
In this context, starting from the narration of the recording practices of
two sound artists – Renato Rinaldi and Attila Faravelli – with whom the author has recently collaborated in research on sonic waterscapes, the article question and discuss if and how podcasts can help develop a sensitivity towards water resources.

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Analysis and perspectives on water stress reduction: territorial implications and innovative approaches. – Ensuring water sustainability through technological innovation is crucial, especially for groundwater, a vital component linked to the hydrological cycle. It plays a pivotal role in supplying drinking water for various purposes, including agriculture and industry. Climate change pose significant threats to groundwater conservation, raising concerns about both quantity and quality with significant socio-economic implications. Effective preservation requires hydrogeological monitoring of underground basins, coupled with dynamic water balance modelling to provide predictive insights. These modern tools are essential for proper physical resource management. Implementing innovative technologies and strategic political and management planning for underground aquifers are imperative for initiating a robust program to mitigate risks and achieve a sustainable balance for this precious resource.

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The new opportunities offered by immersive and inclusive technologies to represent and rediscover the complex relationship between human communities and water resources. – In order to know, represent and interpret the complex relationship between water landscapes and human communities the new technologies (immersive cartography, three-dimensional web, augmented reality, 3D environments) represent extraordinary and functional tools both for research and for territorial information and promotion actions in terms of tourism. Evidence of this is the project “Tourist Itineraries to Discover the Waters of Italy”, conceived and promoted by the GECOAGRI LANDITALY Interuniversity Research Group Association and financed by ACEA, aimed at promoting a process of water resource enhancement in the dimension of environmental, economic and social sustainability. The authors through some exemplifications and using a methodology of operational analysis, characterized by new syntaxes, reconstruct with the help of augmented reality and immersive technologies, as well as the canonical geocartographic and documentary sources, the material and immaterial dimension of the water resource in the Conca reatina, Umbilicus Italiae, where the sociocultural dynamics underlying the relationship between water and population, narrate experiences of vulnerability and development, participation and conflict, protection and threat. Through 10 ten interactive and implementable totem-stations, it is possible to embark on an inclusive and participatory journey that allows people to explore even inaccessible places. Not only video and audio, historical and thematic cartographies, photos and three-dimensional images, but also drone shots from which to observe from above what nature and culture have achieved and, if necessary, to land in particular places reconstructed through augmented reality that allows one to observe them as they were and as they are today, making clear the processes of transformation of which signs and sedimentations remain in the landscape palimpsest.

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Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Water Resources Management. Case Study: Gorgovivo, Ancona. – The urgent need to address challenges related to the sustainable management of water resources has prompted the scientific and technological community to explore innovative solutions that can make a significant contribution to achieving the goals and sustainability strategies of the UN’s 2030 Agenda. In this context, Artificial Intelligence (AI) emerges as a powerful ally, offering advanced tools for the collection, analysis, and management of water data efficiently and effectively. Using machine learning algorithms and neural networks, AI enables accurate prediction of water demand, facilitating optimal planning and allocation of resources. Moreover, the integration of smart sensors and monitoring systems allows real-time control of water resources, improving the response capacity to environmental variations and emergencies.
The purpose of the research is to examine how AI can optimize water treatment and distribution processes, reducing waste and enhancing the energy efficiency of water facilities; the use of predictive models based on historical data and environmental variables allows for proactive management of resources, thus contributing to their conservation and long-term sustainability. In this perspective, an AI-based system will be adopted to predict the groundwater levels of the Gorgovivo spring (AN), using historical data from the spring itself, the level of the Esino river, and rainfall stations. The proposed AI model is based on the Prophet predictive algorithm, specifically designed to manage time series forecasting applications; as adapted by us, the predictive model was evaluated using the mean absolute error (MAE), mean squared error (MSE), and correlation criteria.

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Geospatial methodologies for the monitoring of eutrophication of water bodies. – As collective awareness of environmental issues increases, the debate on water pollution becomes more focused on all anthropogenic activities (industrial, agricultural and domestic discharges, waste management) that cause water eutrophication. This paper aims to highlight how the use of GIS makes it possible to examine soil erosion and to calculate the theoretical load re-located over time in watersheds by human activities. The USLE/RUSLE and CREAMS models, coupled with satellitary data, allow to examine the evolution of land and watersheds. In the first part of the paper, the focus was on the Mediterranean, one of the most polluted seas on the planet; in the second part, the watersheds of the Rio Santa Lucia, Rio San Girolamo and other minor ones in south-western Sardinia were investigated. The research highlighted the connection between spatial planning and environmental processes, underlining the importance of best practices of territory management, especially in contexts with water vulnerability. The objective is to set up an integrated methodology to monitor soil erosion and eutrophication of water resources, in order to identify strategies and actions to mitigate these phenomena.

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Water as a resource and as a value: territories in competition and the need for protection as a strategic tool. – The aime of this work the value of water as a primary good, focusing the attention on the sustainability and value of water as a limited and not infinite resource, to arouse a new awareness. The protection of water resources and aquatic ecosystems is one of the cornerstones of environmental protection. The value of water is the result of both the complex interactions between natural and anthropic factors distributed across the territory, and of their dynamics over time. The Danube region is facing several challenges and a new development protection strategy aimed at promoting economic development and envi-ronmental protection. A truly important step for the protection of biodi-versity and the environment. UNESCO has designated the Danube River as “the first 5-country Biosphere Reserve in the world”. The adhering States undertake to administer with particular attention to resources and sustainable development, with the full involvement of local communities. Is underlined the need for balance taking into account the multiple val-ues of water: biological, social, environmental, symbolic and cultural.

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In the Flood. Circumpolar cultures and global warming. – The imaginaries of water in circumpolar cultures are changing. The erosion of old cosmologies and the accelerated melting of permafrost and continental ice are gener-ating new syncretic narratives that are beginning to be studied by ethnology and cultural geography. In the Arctic, water has become a new concrete threat and the hydrogeological disruptions triggered by rising temperatures and human mechanical alterations are redefining the local way of describing the world and man’s place in the world. By relying on some case studies centered on real and symbolic risks that come from water, this contribution intends to illustrate how the Anthropocene is shaping the concrete and imagined geography of the circumpolar regions.

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The management of water resources in mountain contexts in ecological transition. – The frequency and concatenation of environmental and climatic phenomena requires a reflection on our way of managing the change, and in this direction the principle of “custody of the high lands” enhances the awareness of the communities on ecosystem services related to the precious water resources, essential to the biodiversity and the basis of stable economies for the mountain. The contribution intends to build a critical framework on interventions oriented to stem the water crises, adopted in the most vulnerable national mountain areas but which at-tempt the difficult territorial transition path on the climate tendency scenarios. The strategies will be analyzed, promoted by regional legislation and innovative regulations, for the territorialization of the actions on the management of the resource, but also complex projects and multi-sectoral studies with direct repercussions on physical and cultural landscapes, which therefore lead to inclusive forms of governance and participate.

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Glaciers and Water bodies: Considerations and Emerging Prospects in Alpine Settings. – This research highlights the importance of the relationship between glacier health, snow cover, water resources availability and territories in the Alpine region. Snow has the strategic task of protecting glaciers, feeding freshwater reserves, regulating sea level and supporting local communities. However, snowfall is decreasing and snow and ice are melting faster due to global warming. Therefore, planning future risk management strategies is mandatory for water governance and environmental protection. In this regard Engadin represents an interesting case study. In this region, a local project aims at slowing down the retreat of the Morteratsch glacier. Moreover, a watercourse renaturation project has also been implemented in order to overcome the problem of substantially increased river flow due to rapidly melting glaciers. These are examples of policies that should take into account current climate changes and the physical conditions of the mountain environment.

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E-participation in River Contracts in the Campania Region. The Case of the Tusciano River experience. – The paper explores the contribution of Information Communication Technologies to local participation in River Contracts. These forms of agreement enable the adoption of a system of rules in which environmental sustainability criteria are implemented through effective solutions for the redevelopment of river basins. The prerequisite for the establishing of a River Contract is the involvement of all interested parties at the various levels of management. However, the widespread distribution of experiences in River Basin Districts and the application of innovation are not homogeneous in Italy. In particular, in the Campania Region both notable delay and poor participation have been evidenced. The analysis of the case of the Tusciano river continues to confirm a wide gap between the rhetoric of participation and effective operational practice.

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Territorial education through the rivers. The “Flowing with the rivers” public engagement project. – The contribution reflects on how the value of water resources in the ecological transition can be shared and strengthened through geo-graphical education. In particular, the Public Engagement project “Flow-ing with the rivers”, financed with 48,500 euros by the University of Turin, whose objective was the development of an educational model to sustainably reconstruct the relationships between human communities and territory around water as a resource and fundamental element in all relationships between natural and human systems. The project activities developed between 2021 and 2023, concentrating the action on the territory between Turin and Savigliano, in particular between the Po, Tanaro and Maira rivers, and involved universities, associations, schools with teachers, students and parents, citizens, media and local administrations. The involvement of local communities was considered a basis of geographical education, starting from the idea that through awareness of the ecological, cultural and economic value of rivers it is possible to arrive at a plan for life, care and sustainable development that produces a social and cultural change in the valorization and management of water resources. The interdisciplinary working group, scientifically directed by Cristiano Giorda, involved fifteen researchers from six different departments and scientific areas. The main methodology followed was that of territorial education through outdoor education and place and art based learning activities, ca-pable of territorialising the scientific and artistic dimensions with skills linked to territorial values, landscape, sustainable development -bile and active citizenship.